In a special ritual on Monday 9th March 2018 Suryagupta became the new Chair of the London Buddhist Centre - one of Triratna’s oldest and largest urban Buddhist Centres, outside of India. Suryagupta is the first woman to become a chair of the LBC. Furthermore, as a mother and a woman of African Caribbean heritage, she brings a breadth of experience to this important role in the Triratna Buddhist Community.

Sudaka, the Mitra Convenor in the Valencia Buddhist Centre, talks about his experience of Buddhist practice as a parent and discusses how he fits in his meditation practice, the importance of having a supportive partner and how his practice informs his parenting.

Olga Rosenberg and Blanca García are two Mitras from Cuernavaca who have been running a project for underprivileged Mexican children and telling them stories as well as introducing meditation.

Earthquake in Cuernavaca In September 2017 an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter Scale struck in Mexico, with its epicentre in Cuernavaca. This devastated the local community, with houses being damaged and schools destroyed. It had a particularly destructive impact on lower income families.

Adhisthana’s first weekend retreat for parents took place on 8th to 10th June, led by a team of Triratna Order Members who are parents themselves – Upayavira, Maitrinita, Lilapa, and Karunagita. It was open to parents and parents-to-be, including Order Members, Mitras and those with a regular practice in the context of Triratna.

Here are two of the talks from the weekend:-

Six Gifts of Parenting: Karunagita brings to life gifts for Buddhist practice...

What Meditation Is and What It Isn’t Often one of the first things one learns when one comes into contact with Buddhism - and sometimes even before that - is meditation. However, it is not always clear exactly what meditation is, or easy to articulate it! In the last 5 years of The Buddhist Centre Online there have...

We offer a retreat for fathers, mothers, sons and daughters. In 2017 we ran a very successful family retreat in Suryavana and we want to continue offering this space for people interested in Buddhist practice especially as a parent. The retreat is open to anyone. The intention of gathering people from various countries with their children. This will create an atmosphere of internationality with all the wealth of a retreat with people from various cultures and ways of seeing life and raising their children living and practicing...

“If the Order is spiritually united, if it is in harmony, then a truly wonderful thing will happen. The Order then will be the locus for the manifestation of the Bodhicitta…I need hardly say how much the world needs the Dharma, needs such an Order, such a movement as ours. I have done what I can. I have started the movement. The future of the Order, of the movement is in your hands.”

In this article, I want to explore my experience of being a Dharmacharini and a mother. The lifestyle that we live is significant as it creates the conditions in which we shall be practicing the Dharma and not all life styles are equally supportive of spiritual practice. The conditions in which we live will unquestionably have an effect on our Dharma life. Being a Buddhist in a secular, material society is hard. Being a mother is demanding so anyone who...